Following pressure from Sussex Weald's Conservative MP, Nusrat Ghani, and local residents, Wealden District Council leaders have confirmed they will take legal action against the Home Office's proposal to use Crowborough Training Camp to house asylum seekers.
Ms Ghani held two packed-house community meetings on Monday 10th November (pictured), with over 500 residents attending to hear directly from Home Office officials and Wealden District Council. During the event, Ms Ghani forensically questioned the officials on several key issues regarding the safety, legality and compliance of using a site that was previously rejected.
The Home Office confirmed that the Council, as the lead planning authority and recipient of money for every asylum seeker accommodated at Crowborough, has the power to legally challenge the decision before, during and after asylum seekers arriving. Officials also stated that the site can only open once it is deemed safe, legal, and compliant, but they could not provide evidence of how these criteria would be met.
At the meeting, Ms Ghani presented evidence showcasing how other Councils used their planning legal powers to challenge the Home Office. Present at the meeting was the leadership Cllr Rachel Millward and Cllr James Partridge, who were urged to use legal challenges to address the potential impact on planning, environment, healthcare and the Crowborough Cadets.
After the MP’s and community pressure, the Council’s leadership changed its initial position of "nothing could be done" to “we will take legal action” and promised to explore all legal options and to keep the community updated. Ms Ghani praised the residents for their calm engagement. She affirmed she will continue to work with the Council to support legal action, but not with the Council’s present chaotic position of supporting the Home Office in housing asylum seekers at Crowborough Training Camp.
Nusrat Ghani said: “Crowborough residents did us proud, raising legitimate concerns over Wealden District Council’s and the Home Office’s lack of transparency of what is planned for Crowborough. Due to my persistent pressure, the Home Office attended their first public meeting, but left us asking more worrying questions, which should have been raised by councillors at a much earlier stage.
At the meeting, Green Party and Lib-Dem members of Wealden's ruling Cabinet (Cllrs Tysh, Millward and Partridge) said they couldn’t do anything.
After I gave examples of other councils taking legal action and after the Home Office confirmed that they could take legal action, the councillors then publicly changed their position to claiming that they now “will take legal action”.
I look forward to seeing evidence of what legal action and legal advice will be implemented. There is no time to waste, and every coinccillor now needs to be across the detail and standing up for Crowborough.
I urge local residents to hold their councillors’ feet to the fire to make sure they stay true to the promise they made to residents at my meeting on Monday.”
